Seeking personal praises from the likes of Tommy Emmanuel, Jennifer Batten, Dave Weiner, Jude Gold(Editor Guitar Player Magazine), and Chris O. Byrne(Editor Guitar One Magazine) among others, Paul Lowe is one serious picker.

Having played in 24 bands throughout his life and teaching the fine art of guitar to many, Paul still leads a musically rich life, and his devotion to the instrument is unmatched by most.

Check out this tasty improv “From Dusk til Dawn,” and keep reading to learn more about this week’s Featured Artist.

For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music? Who are your main influences?

I tend to like to play a mixture of rock,blues and jazz riffs over backing tracks that also have one or more of these styles present…So hopefully you will hear some of my main influences such as (Andy Timmons, Steve Lukather, Kee Marcello, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Gary Moore, Brad Gillis) when you watch/listen to my videos I uploaded to OnlineGuitarNetwork.com

So how did you get started playing the guitar?

I started playing guitar when I was 14…It was right after I saw these two guys from High School jammin` some good `OL classic rock tunes…That sparked my interest and soon after I couldn`t put the guitar down…Also like many other guitarists,my first rock concert played a part and it featured “Loverboy” and “The Headpins” …I`ll never forget how good they sounded!

I started listening to bands like this and would copy their solos until I could play them note for note along with the record…Some of those solos seemed to take forever to get down…Especially from players like Eddie Van Halen, Warren DeMartini, Brad Gillis, Brian MacLeod, Vito Bratta…I usually concentrated on one guitar player at a time until I felt like I had a good handle on their style!

What is one influential event that helped shape your playing style, or take it to the next level?

If you don`t mind I will mention two events!…In 1996 I was able to get to jam with a world class guitarist who is basically unknown to the rest of the world but in Halifax,Nova Scotia: this guy is the real deal!. His name is Bob Melanson and he literally has the chops of Steve Morse and the taste of Lukather and Carlton!. How is that for a combination?. It was very inspirational and made me want to practice all the time!…Another event was in 2000 I had a chance to see another world class player named Dan Crary. He is an acoustic player and I noticed the dynamics he used when he played!…Like a classical orchestra where they play so soft and then becomes more and more powerful…That’s really moving on the guitar!

How do you approach your song-writing?

There are two ways I approach song writing!…I will work on a chord progression that has very ear pleasing chords with proper voice-leading,you know where one or more of the notes carry over into the next chord!…And most of the time I hear the sound of the chord in my head and then I`ll just find the fingering on the guitar…I like to use mood setting chords and will often try to find wide interval stretches to play them so there is more of a chance they will sound unique!…When I come up with the progression I like, then I`ll decide whether it is the chorus or verse chords for the song…If it is the chorus then I will make up the verse and vice versa, also I may decide to put a bridge in the song if I feel it will add to the overall quality to the song!…Once I have all the chords then I will proceed to creating the lead melody on the guitar…and nowadays I lean more and more towards trying to create a catchy chorus that repeats itself every time the chorus comes around but play the notes with a slightly different attack and feel so it will sound more fresh to the ears. I notice Andy Timmons often does this…I will also try to put in many types of riffs and techniques into the song, again another one of Timmons tricks of the trade!

My other approach to songwriting is to create a melody on the lead guitar first and keep adding riffs to it that I like the sound of until the tune is finished and then the fun begins to find the best chords to go along with it!…

What kind of gear are you using?

I own a Tom Anderson Hollow Drop Top Guitar and a Yamaha Pacifica higher end model…Suhr Badger amp..Carl Martin Plexitone, Barber Burn Unit, Fuller OCD…and a Roland VS 2480 DVD workstation!

Describe a normal day for you. How much time do you spend practicing and playing, talking to fans, networking, etc. ?

I get up early before everybody else in my household and practice for about 1/2 hr..then help my wife get our two girls up and ready for school…once they are in school I will practice more for another 1/2 hr…then I`ll do some networking on the computer and watch videos of my favorite players..back to more practicing…once the girls come home from school we have an early supper and then I start teaching guitar in my house..they are private one on one lessons and I`ll teach up until 10:00 P.M.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

I can`t stress enough the importance of developing your ear in music!…Learn and practice often as many ear training exercises from books and copy as many top players as you can by ear note for note because your hearing will eventually develop to the point where you can notice every little nuance in the sound and when you get to that point you will constantly be adjusting your playing to what sounds good!
Also watch/listen and learn from the best on the Internet!..If you are into electric guitar!Check out players like: Andy Timmons, Steve Lukather, Kee Marcello, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Gary Moore, Jason Becker, Fernando Miyata, Neil ZaZa, Vinnie Moore, Eric Johnson, Shawn Lane, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Brent Mason….And for acoustic: Tommy Emmanuel, Justin King, Monte Montgomery, Eric Mongraine, Phil Keaggy…

What are you most proud of musically?

I am probably most proud of the fact that many world class musicians came forward after watching one or more of my guitar videos and are now fans of my playing!…Players that include Andy Timmons, Carl Verheyen, Billy Sheehan, Tommy Emmanuel, Justin King, Jude Gold, Kee Marcello, Keith Howland, Rob Marcello…to name a few!
Any other thoughts or words of inspiration?

Always keep striving to play better because you can if you put your mind to it!…Thanks everyone for taking the time to read this and if It helps one player to become better!..I am happy with that!…I would like to leave you with a quote I always liked!… “Somehow it is the beginner who seems to know it all and yet the professional is always looking for ways to improve”

Paul’s OGN Page

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